#Crispy Butter Cookies

[grubloved]

u dont get it they turned out PERFECT this time

[kedreeva]

I'm so in love with them

[albontology]

just made perhaps the best chocolate chip cookies i've ever made in my life

[m-1239]

Balance of buttery crispiness in every indulgent bite !

[magz]

[ Original Twitter Thread by @/beelektra ] - Not by Magz, am not Palestinian

Palestinian Foods. (long post)

Quote:

"🧵 Thread of Palestinian desserts I've grown up around and seen A thing I'd like to add is that I just like to share my culture! I do not want to spread the narrative that our culture is dying, I only want people to see our foods and traditions 🇵🇸

"As mentioned in the last post, we have knafeh (or kunafa), a buttery dessert made with shredded pastry layers such as cheese and other ingredients like pistacho or cream!"

"Burbara; which comes from Saint Barbara, fun fact! It's a soup dessert that mainly consists of barley, licorice spices, anise, cinnamon, and fennel powder This is a dessert usually many Christian families have to celebrate Saint Barbara, which is December 4th!"

"Malban, which resembles a fruit jelly! Made from starch and sugar Specifically, it's made with grape molasses, thickened with starch and flavored with rose water, and stuffed with almonds (or other nuts including walnuts, treenuts, and peanuts)"

"Khabeesa is simply just a pudding made with grapes, but you prepare it by mixing the grape juice with semolina and nuts + seeds."

"Mtabbak or mtabba, a crispy dough stuffed with crushed walnuts. It also contains cinnamon, sugar, and syrup. Photo credits go to Bartek Kieżun on Instagram"

"Tamriyeh, a fried pastry filled with semolina pudding, scenter with mastic and orange blossom water, and topped off with powdered sugar"

"Ka'ak bi Tamer, which are date paste filled cookies with cinnamon! A dessert made for Eid-Alfitr. It's topped with nigella seeds, and the cinnamon-spiced date paste is the most important part of it all– you can eat it on its own or have it with coffee"

"+ Ka'ak Asawer, another dessert that can be prepared for Eid-Alfitr. It's translated to bracelet cookies, and they use date paste, flour, anise seeds, sugar, ground cinnamon, and olive oil"

"Muhallebi or mahalabia, a milk pudding that's made with sugar, corn starch, and fragrant flavorings! It's topped off with nuts, pistachos, and almonds and sprinkled with ground cinnamon or shredded coconut"

"Rice pudding, which is a common dessert in Palestine, and it's your choice to top it off with nuts or not"

"Stuffed dates, using medjool dates and cracking them open to be stuffed with goat cheese and pistachios– but you're free to add anything else"

"Ma'amoul, a buttery crisp cookie primarily made of farina and can be stuffed with (spiced) dates, walnuts, or pistachios. This is another Christian dessert made by Palestinian mothers during the week of Easter Sunday."

"Halawit Smid, a farina based dessert with added sugar and unsalted cheese. It's preferably served fresh"

"Namoura cake, aka harissa dessert! It's made with semolina or farina flour, and then topped off with syrup once baked"

"Qatayef, which is eaten during the month of Ramadan. It's made of farina, flour, water, and yeast blended together– the process is pretty similiar to making pancakes, but only one side is cooked"

"Since I've mentioned using zaatar for a lot of things, I recently just discovered this but– there's also things such as zaatar cookies!! It's just as implied that the cookies are filled with zaatar, I'd be so willing to make this on my own"

"Baklava, made from phyllo pastry dough, butter, nuts, basil, and a sweet honey syrup"

"Aish el saraya, arabic version of a bread pudding. It's basically a layered bread, where it starts from the bottom, then covered with a sweet syrup, cream, and crumbled pistachios."

"Awwami, it's defined as "crisp donut ball" in English. It's a deep fried dough ball coated with sesame seeds, and dipped in cold syrup water."

"Halawet el Jibn, a sweet cheese dessert rolled with custard, heavy cream, drizzled rose water + syrup, and garnished with nuts."

"Lastly, I'd like to add watermelon and cheese– for me, it's like,,,, bittersweet!!! You should totally try it and we also have this during Ramadan"

"Well, that's all I can think of for Palestinian desserts! Here's the first part for general foods, I know I did make a promise for part two

I hope you guys liked this thread, and if you have any opinions please feel free to quote tweet anything on here if I made a mistake, feel free to correct me, it's always appreciated P.S if you're a zionist commenting here I really don't care, just scroll, I'm sharing my culture

One LAST thing. if you want any of the recipes from here, check out this website, the creator (Wafa) shares so many wonderful traditional Palestinian dishes."

[End Quote]

[kenzie-ann27]

swear to god if i hear "brown butter" in a cooking video one more time, i will actually go insane

[honeytonedhottie]

honeys guide to fall⋆.ೃ࿔*:･🧸💕

i am so so excited for fall 2024. this fall we're serving bambi doll, cupcake and espresso scented, french tips and nudes, crispy chocolate croissants and coffees, sweaters and mini skirts…💬🎀

FALL BEAUTY ;

♡ soft bouncy curls

♡ nude lip combos

i recommend the nyx butter gloss (madeleine) and the nyx chocolate lip liner for a pretty chocolaty look. if ur looking for another nude lip combo use the nyx butter gloss (angel food cake) and the nyx club hopper lip liner…💬🎀

♡ french tips

♡ nude colored manicures and pedicures

♡ marshmallow scented hand creams

as the weather gets colder it becomes more and more important to keep ur skin moisturized and hydrated. carrying around a sweet smelling hand cream can help your hands to stay soft and not dry…💬🎀

♡ fall scented lip balms, body nectars and fragrances

pumpkin, coffee, vanilla, cupcake, chocolate, cinnamon, caramel and buttercream scents are giving fall…💬🎀

lets talk fall beauty products and scents because my favorite part about literally everything is the pampering aspect and the smelling super yummy so lets get into it. the body products i recommend to capture that fall, bambi eyed, doll scent and vibes are.

the sugar cookie body wash from native

ooey gooey cookie body wash from philosophy

chocolate chip body wash from philosophy

all the cozy fireside s’more scents from bodycology

coco coffee body scrub from victorias secret pink

cupcake swirl body fragrance from bodycology

♡ for nails, tapered square french tips or oval shaped nails in nude colors

♡ claw clip hairstyles including half up-half downs or just a classic claw clip pony

FALL FASHION ;

fall fashion to me is tights and mini skirts. leg warmers and uggs and form fitting sweaters. let’s talk about some fall fashion. the tights and mini skirt combo is a classic and it’s an amazing way to incorporate wearing mini skirts even as the weather begins to get a little colder. the tights add a nice touch, even if it isn’t the color of ur skin tone, tights IN GENERAL look rly nice.

ankle boots, ugg boots, BOOTS are so so fall. i rly love ankle boots that have a heel to them and bonus points if ur fall shoes include fur. the fall shoes on my shopping list are ->

ugg boots

ankle boots

mary jane style shoes

ballet flats

form fitting sweaters and jackets are so in for the fall. along with tracksuits. the color pallete for having a bambi doll fall are very much browns, cashmeres, and baby pink. honestly think of neapolitan colours. pink, brown and an off-whitish almost pastel yellow. think PASTRY PRINCESS.

baby phat puffers are perfect for the transition from fall to winter and a good pair of jeans is CRUCIAL for fall. another thing i wanna talk about with fall fashion is LAYERING. layering is such an important aspect of fashion period but ESPECIALLY fall fashion. experiment with different lengths, textures etc. one of my favorite layering combination during the fall is ->

long sleeve tops with a camisole underneath

a form fitting long sleeve top (the ones with buttons at the front) look so DOLLY and adorable when u dont button it, and wear a camisole underneath. its just MWAH. some more fall fashion details also include ->

fur details

ribbons and lace details

delicate jewelry choices

tights and leg warmers

layering

boots

neopolitan cinnamon princess color scheme

long sleeves

mini skirts + tights combo

HOW TO BE A HOTTIE DURING FALL ;

to be a hottie during the fall lets talk about our fall essentials to be our hottest, healthiest and happiest selves this fall…💬🎀

♡ warm milk and honey with a pinch of cinnamon (a real treat)

♡ warm, buttery croissants

♡ wired headphones and a good fall playlist

a good fall playlist consists of artists like lana del rey, pink pantheress, sabrina carpenter and sade…💬🎀

♡ candles that smell like cinnamon cupcakes

♡ a few juicy novels to read

my favorite genres of books to read during this season include mystery, romance and historical fiction…💬🎀

♡ keep up with ur health

during the colder seasons its important to take good care of ur health so make sure that ur taking ur supplements/vitamins, drinking herbal teas and eating a balanced diet to avoid getting sick…💬🎀

[naomiknight-17]

Leon's turn

Oh well. We were low on Becel anyway

Been itching to bake cookies all week but there is a sweet boy sitting on my chest so I ain't getting anything done

It's almost his dinner time, he's gonna have to move if he wants food

[icarusredwings]

What things smell like according to Logan Howlett/ The Wolverine. A series of smell based headcanons. Do with these whatever you want :)

People:

Ororo: burnt marshmellows, rain, chunky chocolate chip cookies, protien shakes, spansih rice, chillies, and cocoa butter. She always smells great.

Scott: cucumber shampoo, the remaints of a bonfire the next day, fresh dry cleaning, axe shower gel, lavender sheets

Jean: caramel latte, lavender sheets, vanilla spiced chai, books, mint ice cream, fruit smoothies, stinky hair product, lemon poppy seed muffins, sassafras

Hank: Books, sanatizer, various chemicals, a very specifc fur dander, kinda musky but in a 'im covered in fur and sweaty' kind of way.

Rouge: "Dolly Parton", brick and concrete dust, cherry blossoms body spray, freshly engraved wood, strawberries and milk conditioner, spicy gaucamole and freshly sizzled sausages.

Gambit: tv static, a fresh deck of cards at the casino, spicy jumbo, gin, lime jello, hair gel, "suprisingly good actually"

Kurt: brimstone, smoke from franckinsense, myrrh, a less smelling dander then hank, Holy chrism oil (olive oil and Balsam made by catholic priests), metal, and blue raspberry. Fur/ beard pomade sometimes for special ocassions.

Morph: even when changed he can smell is sandlewood shampoo, he smells like how "Jack Outta smell", latex, pine and cedar, clear nail polish, "that ugly quilt that your grandma kept on the back of her couch that was the warmest, softest thing you've ever slept with."

Charles: Old man fart, metal, chalk, shoe polish, nutmeg, wool, "a trusting hug", books, mahogany, expensive champagne.

Laura: "teen spirit", a shitty cheap "girl power" deodorant that doesn't do well hiding the sweat, apples and peaches, kinda woodsy.

Wade: Cancer, gun smoke, citrus dish soap, blood, oranges, taco sauce, infected skin once in awhile, red dye 40, slight over cooked and crispy apple pie, sugary cereal

Puppins: wet dog, dog dander, oatmeal senstive skin puppy shampoo, chicken, "the dirtest trash she can find to roll in on her walk"

Althea: Old lady, way too strong perfumes, butter biscuits, tea, peppermint candies, more cocaine, "baby powder", lanvender linens, cotton and daisy's Landry detergent.

Feelings/emotions:

Big/serious lies: smell like Gasoline and salty sand near the sea.

Small fibs/playful/ teasing lies: smell like Anise

Lies with decent intentions/are bent truths: smell like honey

Those two are easily mixed up.

Innocent (the person truly believes it. Ex. A child saying dinos are real) truth: smells like thick vanilla creamer.

Filling, whole truths (the person knows for a fact its a truth) smells: like fresh baked rolls/buns

Cancer smells vary like: urine, nail polish remover, some people have a pungent semi sweet smell like rotting fruit, and tar is another smell, depending on which part of the body. If already in late stages, one can smell like cadavers. Even spicy almost.

Pregnant people vary in scent but he can smell the rise of different hormones: Some hormones sweeter then other. If you asked him he would say cinnamon or dying roses. If you're later in your term the scents are more soft like lotion or custard. Lemon ussually.

Serotonin; cheese, lemon cakes, fruity, a bit light, and flakey like a pastry. Marshmellow fluff.

Dopamine; sweet fresh coffee, doritos(?), cocaine. Don't ask why he knows what cocaine smells like. He was alive during coke cocaine.

Endorphins; Sweaty Sex, mint, dark chocolate, violets, chemicals, varies by persons pheromones

Oxytocin; "playful cherries", freshly washed cotton pillows, the warmth of a bath, skin on skin hugs, strawberries

Joy/relaxation/relief: Jasmine, vanilla sugar cookies, fresh soup.

Anger/disapproval/hurt: smoke, the back end of a cigarette, spicy curry, iron, blood, "spoiled raw chicken left out too long"

Fear/excitment/anxiousness: Adrenaline smells like oil, paint, salty pretzels almost.

Tears: Oceans, lillies, fresh water lakes

[ms-demeanor]

Oh hey speaking of how corn is in fucking everything i made cookies yesterday and some of them were for a person with many food allergies who IS NOT allergic to peanuts or eggs so I found the two-ingredient (salt, peanuts) peanut butter at trader joes and then I made 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies and they rule.

You need:

1 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of sugar

1 large egg

I did use my stand mixer for this and it was my first time using my stand mixer for cookie dough and NOW i understand why people who hardly ever bake but who DO bake cookies three times a year love these things holy shit. That was much, much, much easier than stirring by hand for such a stiff dough, which is my usual go-to for cookies.

Anyway, however you're mixing them, beat ingredients together until smooth, roll into 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, press down in a criss-cross pattern with a fork and bake at 350 for about 9-11 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your cookies.

Since I've got food allergies I find it really frustrating when recipes are like "Three ingredients!" and then call for, like, Nutella. Because Nutella is many ingredients. But this is a for-real 3-ingredient recipe, you can even use unsalted peanut butter but I think it's better with salt, making it technically a 4-ingredient recipe but that is NOT BAD for a baked good.

There are peanut butter cookie recipes out there that have flour and vanilla extract and stuff like that, and those recipes can be really good! But this is the easiest cookie recipe.

[steviewashere]

My Kingdom For a Kiss Upon His Shoulder

Rating: General CW: None for this one! Tags: Post-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Established Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Loves Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington Loves Eddie Munson, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Steve Harrington Loves to Bake, They are In Love Your Honor, Bartender Eddie Munson

For @steddie-week | July 4th Prompt: Trade | WC: 661

Title from Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over", but tweaked it to make it gay.

🍪—————🍪 “Trade?” He asked, holding out a freshly baked cookie. It was a new hobby Steve had picked up and Eddie adored it. Not only did it put him in a cute, pastel blue, short apron; but it also made him produce baked goods from thin air all the time. He took up on baking as a means to put negative thoughts and energy at bay. It suited him. Made him especially domestic; especially sweet.

Eddie hummed at the offered cookie. “I don’t have anything to give back,” he pointed out. Gestured with his empty hands to hammer the point.

Steve came to him then. Shuffling over the kitchen tiles—they were cracked and probably needed a good wash, but they were home, oddly enough. They lived in their own apartment now, so coming home to Steve baking, to him humming a song in that sweet, crackling, raspy way he does, and to him exhausted and soft on their dilapidating, thrifted sofa—it was all like coming home. Because it was home, Eddie supposes. And it was warm, warmer when Steve finally met him in the kitchen’s doorway.

“How ‘bout a kiss?” Steve asked, soft, drenching. The way his cookies are when paired with a tall glass of milk.

He smirked gently. His insides were like raw honey. Eddie doesn’t think he’s ever been treated so…considerately. Doesn’t think he’s ever been wanted in this tender, small way before. “Mmm, okay,” Eddie murmured, “gotta warn you, though. The manager let me eat a couple baskets of garlic fries.”

Steve was close, not enough to touch noses, but enough for his warmth to hit Eddie like a stray ember. He’s ready to be engulfed, but he waits. Fires don’t start without effort.

“You have a little bit of beer?” Steve whispered. His breath smelt like chocolate chunks and coffee.

“Half of a banquet. Manager’s giving me a raise, had to celebrate,” Eddie responded just as softly.

Then, no warning needed, Steve leaned in. Closed the gap. A quick peck, nothing more. But Eddie licked his own lips when they pulled apart. Whatever spit had slicked Steve’s lips tasted just as his mouth smelled—sweet milk chocolate, their dark brew instant coffee, and mint chocolate chip ice cream; something to fill a craving while he waited for his cookies to bake, Eddie could guess.

The cookie was placed in Eddie’s left palm, fingers forced to wrap around the golden, crispy edge. Crumbs litter the webbing between his fingers, but if he plays his cards right, maybe Steve’ll clean that up for him. “Made them the way you like,” Steve spoke softly, “brown butter with chocolate chunks instead of chips. Eat it and soak up the bit of alcohol, okay?”

“Don’t have to tell me twice, sweetheart. Promise me something, though?”

Steve’s hand closed around Eddie’s and the cookie. He hummed imploringly. Eyes relaxed, a shimmer to them, a sheen of indulgence to him.

Eddie swayed close. Nose to nose. Kissed Steve just because.

“Promise you’ll let me trade a kiss to have you tonight?”

His nose was rubbed against by Steve’s. Their foreheads accidentally knocked together, not hard enough to cause concern, something closer to a cat’s love-tap. Now that he was closer, Eddie could smell his floral, professional shampoo and his new bergamot body soap and the peach cleanser he used on his face. An arm slung itself around his waist, drawing him in closer. Finally, the fire was engulfing him. Eddie sweated with anticipation as he laid his own arm across Steve’s shoulders.

“You already have me, Eds.”

“Good,” Eddie whispered, “because I’ve been wanting you all day. Want you all the time.”

Steve hummed at that. Sweet, raspy, low, crooning. He gently swayed them side to side as if there was music, but it was only their breath, only the thrum of their refrigerator. And that was enough to persuade Eddie to trade another kiss for a lifetime of Steve’s love.

🍪—————🍪

[annahnana]

fast food under 500 - wendy's (w/ protein)

breakfast ~ * small seasoned potatoes (230 cal, 3g protein) * honey butter biscuit (310 cal, 3g protein) * medium seasoned potatoes (330 cal, 4g protein) * bacon, egg and cheese muffin (390 cal, 17g protein) * sausage gravy & biscuit (400 cal, 6g protein) * large seasoned potatoes (410 cal, 6g protein) * bacon egg & cheese biscuit (420 cal, 16g protein) * bacon, egg and cheese croissant (430 cal, 13g protein) * sausage biscuit (450 cal, 11g protein) * 4 piece french toast sticks (450 cal, 11g protein) * chicken biscuit (500 cal, 14g protein)

burgers ~ * jr. hamburger (250 cal, 13g protein) * jr. cheeseburger (290 cal, 14g protein) * jr. cheeseburger deluxe (340 cal, 15g protein) * jr. bacon cheeseburger (370 cal, 18g protein) * double stack (410 cal, 23g protein) * bacon double stack (440 cal, 26g protein)

chicken sandwiches ~ * crispy chicken sandwich (330 cal, 13g protein) * grilled chicken ranch wrap (420 cal, 27g protein) * crispy chicken blt (420 cal, 18g protein) * spicy/classic chicken sandwich (490 cal, 28g protein)

nuggets ~ * 4 pc chicken nuggets (180 cal, 10g protein) * 4 pc spicy chicken nuggets (190 cal, 10g protein) * 6 pc chicken nuggets (270 cal, 15g protein) * 6 pc spicy chicken nuggets (280 cal, 15g protein) * 10 pc chicken nuggets (450 cal, 25g protein) * 10 pc spicy chicken nuggets (470 cal, 26g protein)

sides ~ * apple bites (35 cal, no protein) * jr fries (210 cal, 3g protein) * chili (240 cal, 16g protein) * small fries (260 cal, 4g protein) * plain baked potato (270 cal, 7g protein) * sour cream and chive baked potato (310 cal, 8g protein) * large chili (340 cal, 22g protein) * medium fries (350 cal, 5g protein) * cheese baked potato (450 cal, 15g protein) * bacon cheese baked potato (440 cal, 17g protein) * baconator fries (460 cal, 14g protein) * cheese fries (470 cal, 9g protein) * large fries (470 cal, 7g protein)

beverages ~ * hot coffee, all sizes (all 5 cal, no protein) * iced tea (5-10-10 cal, no protein) * cold brew, all sizes (15-15-25 cal, all 1g protein) * strawberry sweet tea (140-240-270 cal, no protein) * caramel frosty cream cold brew, all sizes (160-220-300 cal, 4-5-7g protein) * vanilla frosty cream cold brew, all sizes (170-220-300 cal, 4-5-7g protein) * chocolate frosty cream cold brew, all sizes (170-220-310 cal, 4-5-7g protein) * sweetened iced tea (190-270-320 cal, no protein) * all natural lemonade (190-280-330 cal, no protein) * strawberry lemonade (230-330-420 cal, no protein) * pineapple mango lemonade, all sizes (260-330-420 cal, no protein) * blueberry pomegranate lemonade, all sizes (240-350-450 cal, no protein)

desserts ~ * chocolate frosty, jr-medium (190-310-390 cal, 6-10-12g protein) * orange dreamsicle frosty, jr-medium (200-320-410 cal, 5-9-11g protein) * oatmeal bar (280 cal, 3g protein) * chocolate chunk cookie (330 cal, 3g protein) * sugar cookie (330 cal, 3g protein)

[brittle-doughie]

WE ALSO NEED AN EVERYTHING PIE COOKIE FIC FROM YOU RN ALSO!!

(PREFERABLY FLUFF)

(NO PRESSURE THO. MY CAPSLOCK IS JUST STUCK. ITS BROKEN.)

Believe me, I’ll take any excuse to simp over Everything Pie Cookie-

“Are you sure she’ll be okay? I could’ve went with Candy Corn Cookie if it helps your worries…”

“No, she’ll be alright. She can handle herself when she’s always so prepared, we shouldn’t spend all our time worryin’ about her. Let’s go bake a spectacular pie, ya sweetie pie.

“Well, now you’re just making me blush, Everything Pie Cookie. It’s settled, let’s get to baking!”

…

You two began with handling the crust of the pie. Although, the instructions were a bit…bizarre to say the least.

“Flour stored in a pot buried beneath the moonlight, butter churned on the night of the full moon…all these ingredients are so ridiculous! A pie’s a pie, no matter what you put in it!”

“These instructions are a little out of wack, but who’s to say we can’t think a little outside the box to make it tastier!”

“You’re right, sweetheart! It never hurts to get a little experimental to make something good out of something bland!”

She hands you a whisk as she slides in right next to you before the bowl.

“A couple brushed of my lucky ducky double-yolk egg wash before baking should make the crust extra crispy!”

The two of you got to work sifting the flour, cutting the butter into slices and tossing them in! Next was the milk to put into the mix, roll out the dough and pressing it into the pie pan.

“Y/N Cookie, sweetheart! You’re mixing it up so well, are you a baker too?”

“I do it sometimes as a hobby, I get visitors often, so it doesn’t hurt to make some treats for when they come by. The little ones seem to like my sweet treats a whole lot.”

“Ya know, Y/N Cookie. I figured ya to be the type to be great with the little ones, as if they were your own.

“It’s my duty to make sure they’re safe and okay under my watch. I’d lose my mind if they ever got hurt under my watch!”

“I care about the little ones too, it always makes me such a worrywart when they wander off like that.”

You place a hand on Everything Pie’s shoulder.

“Candy Corn Cookie will be alright, I know she wouldn’t put herself in danger, as much as I hate to leave her be. If she does need help, I’d be right over there in a second. Because seeing you worry is something I’d hate to see…”

“Do..you really mean that, sweetie pie…? Am I that important to ya?”

“Very much, Everything Pie Cookie…”

You stop your whisks to look at each other, Everything Pie’s eyeicings glisten from the light as she looked up at you.

The hand to her shoulder was now up to her cheek as she leaned her head to it a bit, as if she was savoring your touch, her own hands reaching up to gently hold it there.

The distance between the two of you felt shorter and shorter….

….

….

….

Until the telephone rang that snapped the two of you out of it.

“T-That’s probably Candy Corn Cookie. Let me just go..get that, sweetheart, sorry!”

“Y-yeah, we probably shouldn’t keep her waiting!”

Everything Pie Cookie hurriedly headed for the phone, flustered yet a tad disappointed.

You felt the same way, the weight of what just happened a second ago catching up with you as you held your head in a daze!

“But don’t let it stop us from next time~ I’ll be looking forward to it, sweetie~”

Everything Pie turned back for a moment to wink at you.

“N-next time?! Right…right! Of course!”

Nevermind, that disappointment just vanished!

[asexualbookbird]

Would you be willing yo share your oatmeal choco chip recipe?

My moms favorite cookies! (and technically her recipe, but MY RECIPE NOW since I'm the one who always makes it lol)

1 cup butter (unsalted) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla (I eyeball this and probably end up putting closer to a tablespoon lol) 2 cups flour ½ tsp of baking powder (my mom doesn't use this because she likes crispy cookies, I add it because I like a chewier cookie) 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 2 cups of quick or old fashioned oats NOT INSTANT OATMEAL you can mix and match if you want 2 cups chocolate chips (again I eyeball this but there is such a thing as too much) ¼ cup shredded coconut (leave out if you're allergic, but I recommend you try it JUST ONCE IT'S GOOD I PROMISE as someone who hates coconut)

cream together butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla

mix dry ingredients in another bowl and sprinkle into the wet stuff

fold in chocolate chips

chill if you want, but I never do, I'm too impatient

roll into balls and put on baking sheet

bake at 400° for ten minutes, transfer to wire cooling rack

this makes a LOT of cookies, and can easily be cut in half, but you can also freeze the cookie balls and cook from from frozen for a cookie whenever you want :D

you can also add spices if that's your jam, cinnamon, pumpkin spice mix, that sort of thing would be good flavors especially for fall. Cannot state enough do not be afraid of the coconut! It's such a polarizing ingredient but it provides such a nice texture here! Happy eating :D

[jo-harrington]

You don't have time for Christmas.

Work and home and this friend in a crisis.

Work and home and, let's be honest, probably work again.

And before you know it, it's December 20th and you don't even have any decorations up. Barely anyone does. The neighborhoods that are usually lit up with lights and figurines enough to rival the Griswolds are noticably dark this year.

What holiday? What festivity? It's wake up and hustle and lay in bed in a dreamless sleep. Then wake up to do it all again.

You are a cog in a machine.

You don't know how to voice these things, your displeasure, the secret yearning for the pomp and circumstance and childhood whimsy for the holiday season that's tucked somewhere deep inside your weary body. You can't bring yourself to indulge in it.

You're tired.

You glance down the card aisle at the grocery store but don't stop to grab any for friends. You pick up a bag of peanut butter bells for your candy jar at work but then second guess it at the checkout. Gifts are bought with as much care as you could, but you can't even bother to wrap them as prettily as you usually would.

You can try again for Valentine's. Chocolate hearts with the crispy rice inside and roses for your coworkers. Something.

But this year, you don't have time for Christmas.

And he notices.

It starts with cookies.

He likes to bake--started with boxed cake mix and then you bought him a handheld torch one year so he could try his hand at creme brûlée after he watched a little too much Jacques Pepin on PBS--so it's not anything suspicious. No ulterior motives detected.

Only he's dug up the little handwritten notebook full of your grandma's favorite recipes. Grandpa's handwriting because he wrote it while she dictated. Cookies he's never tasted before himself but seemed to have nailed exactly the way she made them. The love he poured into the treats matched hers exactly.

He brings you a plate and a cup of cocoa when you come home and collapse on the couch.

You cry when you eat them. And he lets you.

Then he digs out the tree from the garage.

The one-car garage that you pay extra for doesn't fit either of your vehicles but fits all your crap. You both vow to clean up at some point and never do. He slogs through the boxes of old band tees that don't fit him and kitchen crap that you don't miss or really need, to get to the plastic 6 ft tree that used to have stickers to note which bough went in what slot but those are long gone.

He spends hours figuring it out and decorating it, and imagine your surprise when you come home to an otherwise-dark apartment illuminated by the fat, colorful incandescent bulbs that you're sure he spent a significant amount of time untangling. You'd both given up last year and went without lights. But there they are.

"What?" you drop your bag by the door. "What is this?"

"I dunno," he grins proudly. "Thought it would be nice. Get in the Christmas spirit. Saved the star for you to put on top if you want."

And you did. You wanted it so bad. Ever since you were a kid, you were the one to put the star on top of the tree.

After it's up, you marvel at the special care he's taken with the important ornaments. Fragile little wooden ones from your grandma, popsicle stick frames with baby pictures of both of you, a macaroni snowman that he gave his mom once-upon-a-time that his uncle had stashed away, and then a fancy hallmark one you got the year you moved in together.

They all have special places on the tree and tell a story of your lives, separate and then together.

You both lay under the tree that night, staring up at the glittering lights as you hold hands.

Finally it's Christmas Eve. Which to him really meant nothing, but to you meant the world. Christmas Days were spent with individual families but Christmas Eves of old meant a big dinner and time spent with your cousins and It's a Wonderful Life on the TV.

It's a tradition that got put to the wayside as everyone got too old and too tired. As you started getting scheduled to work, like this year. And it's almost worse this year, as you've done a stretch of you-can't-remember-how-many days, that you even turned down an invitation for the two of you from your mom for a small dinner with her.

You're exhausted by the time you get home and, more than anything, you're looking forward to the day off tomorrow.

Not the holiday. The day off.

Still, you remember to bring in the handful of gifts from their hiding place in your trunk. You don't really do gifts between the two of you anymore. Nothing big at least. Just a cheesy little thing. Something fun, not something serious. But you did a little more this year than you usually would--all of the OT you'd clocked for one, and too many things you saw that you knew would make him smile for another.

You try to tip toe into the house as quietly as possible so you can throw the boxes under the tree and shower but he's vigilant. He's been at the stove cooking for a while, and he greets you at the door as you shut it behind you.

"I thought we said no big gifts," he admonishes you and snatches the boxes from your hands. The wrapping paper isn't festive--just brown craft paper you stole borrowed from work since you wrapped on your lunch--but you managed to slap on some red and green bows from the drugstore that you grabbed the other day.

"They're not big," you explained. "I promise."

"Well neither are mine," he winked.

You slap a hand against his chest and then give him a kiss in greeting and thanks.

"One better be the RC racer I wanted when I was nine," he mutters against your lips.

"Hmmm, you're just gonna have to wait," you tell him. "And no shaking the boxes.

You're almost a little ticked off'; one of them is the RC racer.

You kick off your shoes as the smell finally hits you.

Dinner.

Thick and savory and fragrant.

Some kind of fish and roasted potatoes and the starchiness of a pasta and the tang of its sauce.

Recipes, again, taken from your grandma's little notebook. They stir something deep inside of you. That yearning you never voiced.

The weariness that's been slowly building within you finally comes to a head when you make it to the kitchen and see the pots and pans and two plates already portioned out.

An ice cold beer for him, and a Shirley temple, extra cherries, for you.

"Remember when you told me," he comes up behind you and his arms snake around your midsection, "that you and your cousins would sneak extra maraschino cherries from the fridge when your gram wasn't looking. And then she went to go get them for the pistachio salad and they were gone."

Your knees shake and you practically collapse against him.

"Speaking of which, there is a pistachio salad in the fridge for dessert."

"Why?" you sniff.

"Because that's actually my favorite, so sorry to your grandma's tiramisu." He pecks a kiss to the side of your head and rocks you back and forth. "But if you want to make that for New Year's Eve, I won't say no."

"No," you let out a watery laugh. "Why are you so good to me, why did you do all of this?"

"Because I know it's been a hard few weeks. Few months." You can feel him shrug. "Fuck, it's been hard for me too but...I know this is one of your favorite parts of the year and you just...haven't been in the spirit for it. So whatever I could do to make it happen for you..."

You turn in his arms and bury your face in his shoulder, in his neck, so he doesn't see your tears. Again. Worse this time as you begin to shake from your sobs. He shushes you, runs a hand over your back, and leaves kiss after kiss against your head.

"Baby, I'll do anything for you," he tells you, voice thick with emotion. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy," you whine against his skin. "I'm so...so happy."

"Good."

"Thank you," you repeat it over and over again until it feels like you're empty of all the void and indifference that have filled you for the past few months are gone. In their place just...love and gratitude for him.

"Merry Christmas baby. I love you."

"I love you too, Merry Christmas."